Adventure Cafe Bar, Bath

A former commercial business, this café bar appeals mainly to tourists but has little to offer as a pub. No real ale, no decent bottled beer and only megakeg lagers and a cider on tap. The staff were rushed off their feet, but that didn’t really excuse the lack of courtesy. Outside seating and a welcome for dogs are bonuses, but it’s not somewhere that appealed and not somewhere I’d seek out again.

Located just opposite the top end of Milsom Street, despite being a frequent visitor to Bath this wasn’t somewhere that I’d ever been to previously. I think perhaps because the unusual name rather put me off, making it sound like something that was very much geared towards kids. That’s not actually the case however, and why it has that name I don’t know. It is though, as it’s name suggests, much more of a bar than your proper pub with a correspondingly small range of draught drinks available. Internally it’s split across two levels with a couple of steps in between. Flooring is sanded wood and the walls have been painted a deep maroon shade, but other than a few gilded mirrors and some colourful artwork on the walls there was really very little of any note. Large full height windows at the front of the pub make the most of the outlook, and there are also a few small tables and chairs on the wide pavement. However, the main attraction on our visit appeared to be the surprising large and extensive beer garden at the rear. This occupied not only the area immediately behind the pub, but also the adjacent building to the left and extended some way back with a semi enclosed wooden covering at the rear. This even included a plasma screen, although this was covered up and not in use on our visit. Unfortunately there were no ales on tap, real or otherwise, with the three keg fonts dispensing a couple of premium lagers and the rather pleasant Orchard Thieves cider, which you don’t see too often around these parts. All in all, clearly not somewhere that is going to appeal to the pub aficionado, but the outside seating is certainly a draw and something of a rarity in central Bath.